How to Design Your Home Around Your Natural Surroundings

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Create an Indoor Space that Flows to the Outside

The best way to take advantage of your natural surroundings is to blur the line between inside and out. Here are a few ways to do this:

• Trade your small patio door for extra-wide telescoping or folding doors. When you throw these open on a beautiful San Diego day, a welcoming ocean breeze will blow through your entire home.
• Create a covered outdoor living room. Put in a fireplace, mount a TV to the wall, and set up a sofa upholstered in weather-resistant fabric to enjoy all the comforts of home while surrounded by nature.
• Build a screened-in porch where you can soak up the views and enjoy a pleasant breeze while keeping pests at bay.
• Build a sunroom where you can take in 360-degree views of your surroundings without braving the elements.
• Install an outdoor kitchen and dining area so you can cook and eat in your backyard.

Let the Light in

Enjoy natural lighting and decrease your electricity bills with large, energy-efficient windows and skylights. Follow these tips to help you get the most out of your home’s natural light:

• Install oversized windows on the west wall of your home to let you soak up gorgeous sunset views every evening.
• Incorporate windows high on the wall to allow natural light to pour in from above, creating a more natural atmosphere even while you’re indoors.
• Put in a bathroom skylight to provide an abundance of natural light while you get ready in the morning without sacrificing your privacy.
• Install skylights on angled ceilings of under-the-eaves rooms for a unique natural lighting solution.

Plant Trees, Shrubs & Flowers

Choosing some plants that are native to Southern California is a meaningful way to promote a healthy, eco-friendly yard you can be proud of. San Diego’s somewhat tropical yet Mediterranean climate gives homeowners a vast variety of native plants from which to choose. As you design the landscape that surrounds your home, consider selecting plants from below:

• Silver carpet, a ground cover perfect for filling in spaces between flagstone pavers
• Pride of Madeira, a fast-growing shrub with gorgeous purple flower spikes and sage green foliage
• Blue fescue, an ornamental grass with a beautiful blue-green color
• Agave, a succulent well-suited for desert survival
• Aloe, a staple in any San Diego landscape design
• Shoestring Acacia, a medium-sized evergreen desert tree
• Western redbud, a shrub-like deciduous tree with edible magenta flowers